This invention relates to a lamp unit mounting structure.
There has heretofore been proposed a lamp unit mounting structure of the type in which an interior wall member (covering a car body panel), such as a roof trim or a door trim, and a lamp unit, such as a room lamp or a courtesy lamp, are simultaneously fixed to the car body panel, thereby reducing the time and labor required for an assembling (fixing) operation in a car-assembling line (see JP-A-2001-97112).
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view explanatory of a related room lamp-mounting structure disclosed in JP-A-2001-97112 or others. In the room lamp-mounting structure shown in FIG. 10, a room lamp 1 and a roof trim 2 are provisionally fixed to each other by a provisionally-fixing member 4, and also the room lamp 1 and a roof reinforcing member 3 of the car body are completely fixed to each other by a completely-fixing member 5. By doing so, the room lamp 1 and the roof trim 2 are simultaneously fixed to the roof reinforcing member 3.
The provisionally-fixing member 4 includes an engagement claw 14 formed at the room lamp 1, and an engagement portion 15 formed at the roof trim 2. The completely-fixing member 5, provided at the room lamp 1 and the roof reinforcing member 3, includes a spring 7 and a stopper 9 (both of which are provided at the room lamp 1), and a fixing portion 10 formed at an edge of a notch 13 formed in the roof reinforcing member 3.
As shown also in FIG. 11, the spring 7, formed of a metal sheet, includes an embedding portion 7a embedded horizontally in a lamp housing 11 of the room lamp 1, a first resilient deformation portion 7b extending obliquely upwardly from the embedding portion 7a and bent into a generally V-shape or a generally L-shape, a second resilient deformation portion 7c extending obliquely downwardly from the first resilient deformation portion 7b and bent into a generally inverted U-shape, and a claw portion 7d extending generally horizontally from the second resilient deformation portion 7c, and an operating portion 7e extending downwardly from the claw portion 7d and bent into a generally V-shape.
When the room lamp, having the above mounting structure, is to be fixed to an automobile, each engagement claw 14 on the room lamp 1 is engaged with the engagement portion 15 on the roof trim 2 to thereby provisionally fix the room lamp 1 and the roof trim 2 to each other by the provisionally-fixing member 4 before bringing the room lamp and the roof trim to a car-assembling line. Then, a roof sub-assembly (roof module), including the room lamp 1 and the roof trim 2 thus fixed together by the provisionally-fixing member 4, is brought to the car-assembling line.
In this car-assembling line, the spring 7 on the room lamp 1 is brought into resilient abutting engagement with the fixing portion 10 of the roof reinforcing member 3 to thereby completely fix the roof sub-assembly (including the room lamp 1 and the roof trim 2) to the roof reinforcing member 3 by the completely-fixing member 5. At this time, the engagement claw 14 will not interfere with a horizontal portion 18 of the roof reinforcing member 3 thanks to the provision of the notch 13 in the roof reinforcing member 3. With this room lamp-mounting structure, the room lamp 1 and the roof trim 2 can thus be simultaneously fixed to the roof reinforcing member 3 in the car-assembling line, and therefore the time and labor, required for the assembling operation in the car-assembling line, can be reduced.
In the related room lamp-mounting structure shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, however, in case the claw portion 7d of the spring 7, before set on the fixing portion 10, escapes downward (toward the car room) at the time of fixing the room lamp 1 and the roof trim 2 to the roof reinforcing member 3 by the completely-fixing member 5. As a result, an inner surface (upper surface in the drawings) of the roof trim 2 abuts against a room-side surface (lower surface in the drawings) of the roof reinforcing member 3 as shown in FIG. 12A, there is a fear that the claw portion 7d fails to be brought into resilient abutting engagement with the fixing portion 10 of the roof reinforcing member 3, so that the spring 7 remains in a half-fixed condition.
Therefore, in order to prevent the spring 7 from being held in such a half-fixed condition, a clearance t need to be formed between the fixing portion 10 and the claw portion 7d when the inner surface of the roof trim 2 is brought into abutting engagement with the room-side surface of the roof reinforcing member 3 as shown in FIG. 12B. However, when this clearance t is large, there is a fear that the roof sub-assembly is shaken by vibrations or others during the travel of the car, and produces abnormal sounds.
Further, in the case of the spring 7 of the fixing member 5, when there is applied a large external force tending to displace the roof sub-assembly (including the room lamp 1 and the roof trim 2) toward the room (downward in the drawings) relative to the roof reinforcing member 3, the claw portion 7d is liable to be turned up as shown in FIG. 12C, and therefore the retaining force is small, which leads to a fear that the fixed condition is canceled.